Check that undercarriage while you’re at it

As the last two years have demonstrated, there’s no reason to assume that winter has thrown its last punch in Johnsburg this year. Then again, we did cross the threshold from winter into Spring, officially, Saturday. That’s worth celebrating, isn’t it?

With the warmer temperatures this week, the weather seems to match its official designation, at least for now. It’s a great reason to escape the house, get outside and maybe take a stroll in Sunnyside Memorial Park, take a bike ride or even roll the windows down on the car and take a drive. With the lockdown loosening up, there’s all the more reason.

While you’re out and about, you may want to run the car through the carwash so you can clean away the residue of another winter. It’s good for the car’s finish and good for your state of mind. Besides, with a clean car, you don’t have to worry about getting your clothes dirty if you brush up against it.

While you’re at it, is your vehicle ready for an oil change. Remember, regularly changing the oil is the best way to maintain the reliability and value of your car. With an oil change, as the oil drains from the oil pan, the particles that float in the oil are mostly carried away, too. And the new oil is at the peak of its performance.

It’s all a little bit like Spring Cleaning for your car, but you may want to take it a step further

Winter is the season of cold and snow. More than that, from a driver’s perspective, it’s also the season of slippery road conditions, a moisture-and-salt mix sprayed on the windshield as you drive, and of potholes in the pavement.

Those potholes are abusive. They pound on your car. Where the wear, tear and harm is most apparent is with the steering and suspensions. Parts within those systems can be critically damaged. The alignment is likely to be knocked off kilter. 

So, while you have the car in for the oil change, you may want to have your steering, suspension and alignment checked. It’ll put a spring in your step, if you’ll pardon the pun, knowing that your pulling out of your Johnsburg driveway with a car that is clean and in tip-top shape.